Man Utd Daily Beat: Thousands attend training

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – A few thousand people showed up to watch Manchester United participate in a light training session at Toyota Park Wednesday evening.

The fans in attendance – many of whom were sporting Manchester United jerseys – clearly relished the opportunity to see their heroes in person, chanting and cheering loudly for the duration of the hour long practice.

“We have a fantastic fan base, fantastically loyal to the club,” United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said after training. “I think it’s grown [to the point] that the success of the club is an expectation. These fans here, when they come to Old Trafford they expect Manchester United to perform well and win and… I think that’s a great thing.”

One fan in particular, 12-year-old Dylan Moore, was particularly thrilled to see his heroes up close and personal.

“I love United and I want to see them play,” said the Chicagoland resident.

Though his favorite United player – Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia – isn’t on the roster for the North American tour, Moore was still excited to watch his favorite club train. He was especially eager to see Italian forward Federico Macheda – famous for his wonder goal against Aston Villa two seasons ago – in action.

“[I’m most excited to see] Federico Macheda,” Moore said. “He scored an awesome goal and I like how he plays.”

United’s training wasn’t their only event of the day. The team was scheduled to unveil their new uniform at Chicago’s Niketown store after practice.